Britain may be first in Europe to get 500mph Hyperloop One train which would take just 30 minutes for London-Edinburgh route

A selection of British teams will gather in Amsterdam to tell Hyperloop One executives why their town should test the incredible transport tech

By Margi Murphy

17th May 2017, 1:34 pm

Updated: 17th May 2017, 2:54 pm

SEVERAL UK cities are bidding to be first to test a new high-speed public transport system which could zoom from Edinburgh to London in little more than half an hour.

Hyperloop One is a system which pushes pods "on a cushion of air" through a tunnel at speeds in excess of 500mph.

Elon Musk, who first put forward the Hyperloop concept in 2013, described the revolutionary transport as 'a cross between a Concorde, a railgun and an air hockey table'.

Billionaire Elon Musk, who first put forward the Hyperloop concept in 2013, described the revolutionary transport as "a cross between a Concorde, a railgun and an air hockey table".

At its fastest, engineers reckon it could reach 760mph, which would see journeys from London to Edinburgh slashed to half an hour.

Now a selection of British teams will gather in Amsterdam to speak to Hyperloop One executives and explain why they would like to see Hyperloop on routes starting in their town.

Superfast Hyperloop sled goes from 0-116mph in TWO SECONDS

HYPERLOOP ONE: HOW JOURNEY TIMES COULD BE SLASHED

If successful, the Hyperloop could dramatically cut travelling times between major cities.

The following list compares current train journey times with their anticipated hi-tech replacement.

London - Edinburgh: From four hours to 30 mins

Glasgow - Cardiff: From six hours to 45 mins

Liverpool to Hull: From three hours to 15 minutes

Glasgow to Liverpool: From three-and-a-half hours to 25 minutes

An artist's impression of how Hyperloop might appear in the station

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The LA-based technology giant has invited nations to become the next city to host the train.

Proposals were submitted by teams of private investors and university academics, who will work with Hyperloop One to make the dream a reality if their route is chosen.

British semi-finalists include a team pushing for a route between Glasgow and Cardiff which cuts a journey that normally takes six hours to under 45 minutes.

Another hopes they will win a route between Glasgow and Liverpool. The three-and-a-half hour journey would take less than 27 minutes using Hyperloop One.

Another team is putting forward designs for a route between London to Edinburgh, which would take around 51 minutes (but could be shaved to half an hour if the train reaches its 760mph goal).

The four local teams hoping to bring the Hyperloop One to their region could see superfast train speeds based on travel at 500mph

The journey typically takes four hours by train.

Last, but by no means least, a team from Liverpool is also bidding for a quickfire journey to Hull which could take just 15 minutes.

Edinburgh University is behind the London to Scotland route.

What is Hyperloop One?

Elon Musk, who first put forward the Hyperloop concept in 2013, described the revolutionary transport as “a cross between a Concorde, a railgun and an air hockey table”.

It will involve passengers travelling in pods levitating inside massive tubes, surrounded by a cushion of air.

This cushion, along with the reduced air pressure inside the tubes, drastically lowers friction and allows pods to travel at immensely high speeds in safety – similar to how a puck glides in a game of air hockey.

The pods will be propelled either by magnets (a system called passive magnetic levitation) or air expelled from the vessels themselves, and the tubes would be suspended off the ground to protect against weather conditions and earthquakes.

Although Musk was behind the initial idea, he is not involved in the two companies vying to first make his vision a reality.

Hyperloop One, previously known as Hyperloop Technologies, completed the first public test of the propulsion system in May 2016.

The Hyperloop One company is building a test tunnel in the Nevada desert

The LA-based company will bring its technology to the winner of its Hyperloop One Challenge

Reuters

Elon, is the mastermind behind the ultra high-speed Hyperloop transport system and also founded rocket manufacturer SpaceX

There are semifinalists in 17 countries, representing every continent except Antarctica.

The US has 11 teams left, India 5 and the UK four.

But British competitors will have to wait to hear whether they have made the final cut.

The European teams, along with Hyperloop One executives and Isabel Dedring, former Mayor of London’s deputy mayor for transport will meet on June 6 in Amsterdam to learn their fate.

It's not clear when the winner would begin to construct the new tunnel, but Hyperloop claims it will cover all technology costs.